Resist Pressure On Gambling
The IntelligencerOhio legislators and Gov. Ted Strickland are nearing the make or break stage in deliberations about a new two-year state budget. With every new piece of bad news about state revenues, their anxiety grows. Yet, to their credit, neither the governor nor lawmakers seem willing to betray Ohio voters on an issue that could provide hundreds of millions of dollars for state government.
Gambling interests have tried repeatedly to gain voter approval for full-scale casinos in Ohio. Each time voters have rejected proposals to expand legalized gambling.
Earlier this year, mindful of the state's fiscal crisis, another strategy was proposed. Strickland and/or the General Assembly could approve casinos without voter approval, it was suggested. Gambling interests hinted that if such action was forthcoming, they would be willing to pay off Strickland and legislators with hundreds of millions of dollars in up-front fees.
Strickland has refused steadfastly to consider such action. Last week, state Senate President Bill Harris joined him.
Harris told a reporter he is more than willing to allow another referendum on casinos. He added that he does not support including casino enabling language in the new state budget.
Good for Harris and Strickland! The temptation for them to take casino promoters' money as a means of helping to balance the budget must be tremendous. They are doing the right thing in insisting that casinos must be approved by voters, however, and we encourage them to maintain that stance.
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TruthSeeker
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05-27-09 6:09 AM
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It doesn't matter what you think Ellis. This is exactly what happened with the gambling license for Seven Springs. MLB put the kabosh on it. I think Ogden and therefore their editors are still sore about it as they certainly weren't against gambling when it stood to add money to their bottom line. Hypocrites.
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EllisWyatt
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05-26-09 7:11 PM
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Truth That's a sticky situation. MLB permits corporate ownership of baseball teams. I assume the Nuttings have a seperate corporation set up to run Seven Springs (which they have greatly improved, by the way). The Pirates are a partnership. If the Nuttings set up a corporation, and sold the partnership to themselves, they might be able to get away with it. I don't see what a video slot machine has to do with a baseball team. I could see if they were running a sports book. Why is it that a person can't own a share of a baseball team, and also own a resort that has video slots? Is this any worse than Benwood, where the police chief owns a gambling parlor in the same town? BTW, I heard a rumor that those hot dogs are the remains of horses. I don't object to horsemeat but it should at least be on the menu, not billed as a hot dog.
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atoddh
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05-26-09 7:01 PM
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Slot machines at Ohio Tracks are likely and would benefit MNTG in Columbus.It would also provide a feeder for their NP operation.
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Ladydiamond
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05-26-09 11:21 AM
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The paybacks include every time a machine gives you back credits. It doesn't mean just the credits you cash in. If a machine gives you a twenty five cent credit back, it is considered a part of the steady payback percentage. That’s why the payback seems like it a high percentage back to the customer. That’s called misinformation to the public. When in actuality the payouts are considerably very much lower. If I put a hundred dollars in a machine and it gives me two hundred credits back in small (25 cents here and two dollars there) amounts, the machine reads it as a two hundred credit payback even though I didn't cash it in but kept playing the machine (who cashes in a quarter or two dollars?) and instead eventually played the credits off as they were given. Pretty tricky huh? That’s why the machines are raking in the money and the citizens get little or no play for their money. So every time you hit a quarter at a time, remember it is part of that payback to the customer percentage.
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NancySI
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05-26-09 10:14 AM
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Steeler, Ive heard that a lot about slot machines but I have also read that it isn't difficult for Casinos manage their profit with RNGs.
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steelercrazy
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05-26-09 10:03 AM
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NancySI, the machines are not set to 100% profit, they are set to a steady payback percentage. Randomization in the computer algorithms is what determines whether 6 people have collective good or bad luck at any given time. In FY2007, WV racetrack slots payed back at a 90.5%, last FY it was 90.3%. If the Meadows pays back at a higher percentage, you'll play a bit longer, but in the end, the results will be the same over time: you lose.
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TruthSeeker
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05-26-09 9:29 AM
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Methinks Mikey and Company are against gambling because they got turned down for gambling at Seven Springs. Why you ask? Cause they also own an MLB team and there can be no gambling in - or connected to - baseball, the MLB said. Can't be any other reason that Mikey keeps up the anti-gambling rhetoric.
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RockEReputation
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05-26-09 8:09 AM
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To even contemplate another business concept whereby the rich increase their wealth courtesy of employing the poor, combined with gambling's added feature that its enticement value can often deplete the resources of the poor, is not a feasible enterprise for the US society. pcgs - what's that stand for? President Complaining, Giddy yet Shallow?
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Ladydiamond
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05-26-09 7:41 AM
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The gambling machines are designed to take your money. The only time you will be ahead is before you walk through the door of these gambling establishments. The answer is simple, don't go there.
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NancySI
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05-26-09 7:16 AM
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Anyone been to Wheeling Island Casino over the weekend? Get any playing time? My Aunt took some guests visiting her there Friday and Saturday and said they have never seen anything like it. Zero playing time Friday and Saturday. They said it was like pouring money in a drain. Not 1 person of the 6 was able to find 1 machine that provided ANY playing time. Bad luck or machines set to 100% profit? On Sunday they went to the Meadowlands and enjoyed themselves.
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PCGS70
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05-26-09 1:15 AM
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In a sobering holiday interview with C-SPAN, President Obama boldly told Americans: "We are out of money." HeeHeeHee
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